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TARRANT COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) – It took jurors less than two hours to convict Samuel James Gray of causing serious bodily injury to a child. Gray would never say exactly how he harmed the child, but prosecutors believe he gravely injured his ex-girlfriend’s son by either shaking the baby or striking the boy’s head against a surface.

Gray was watching the baby, in November of 2010, while his mother was at work. Prosecutors said Gray called his then-girlfriend and told her the child had fallen down the stairs.

The mother was the one who contacted emergency workers, who arrived at her apartment and rushed the baby to Cook Children’s Medical Center.

During the trial, a pediatric neurosurgeon testified that the 22-month-old was bleeding on his brain when he arrived at the hospital. The doctor told the court the injury was comparable to he force one might see in a car accident victim. He further testified that if the child had not undergone emergency surgery immediately he would have died.

“This defendant committed the most horrible of crimes—almost killing a child,” said Assistant District Attorney Melinda Westmoreland. “If not for medical intervention, this [charge] would have been a capital murder.”

Gary elected to have his punishment assessed by the judge, who assessed the 30-year term. The 42-year-old must serve half of the prison sentence before he is eligible for parole.